Savage Rivale is the super car from Dutch which is ready to conquer the automotive market in 2013. The car will go into production after two years and promises to become one of the biggest sensations ever seen on the streets of Europe

However, it doesn’t share much with its siblings because the company wanted to provide a perfect holding place for the 2.5-liter TSFI engine sourced from Audi. The same lump you’ll find in the TT-RS, only30 kilograms lighter, it’s been revised in conjunction with Audi engineers to make it even more suited to the GTO. It makes 340-400 horsepower depending on whether you flick a “race module” switch, and 331 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers in a two-seater that weighs just 1,540 pounds should make this the quickest car in Donkervoort’s stable.

The GTO’s steel-tube frame is wrapped in carbon panels and a one-piece door that swings up quasi Koenigsegg style. A first run of 25 – half of which are sold already – will get the Audi engines and go on sale early next year, while “regular” versions with an unidentified engine will be available later in 2012. Prices begin at €100,000 and go up to €150,000, before tax.

Source: AutoBlog

The FR-S is offered with a choice of six-speed transmissions, both built by Aisin. The manual gearbox is a short-throw unit with Reverse to the left of first gear, accessed only after lifting a collar on the shift lever. The automatic transmission is a modified version of the eight-speed gearbox used on the Lexus IS F, minus two cogs. It is a traditional wet torque converter design, but its software has been engineered to mimic the response of a dual-clutch gearbox. Its three electronic modes (Normal, Sport and Snow) are controlled via a switch on the center console. For improved manual control, there are also F1-patterned paddles mounted on the steering wheel, while a limited-slip differential is standard on the rear-wheel drive coupe, regardless of transmission choice.

Source: AutoBlog

The Venom GT Spyder turns up the wick on its hardtop sibling to the tune of an additional $150,000, with a base price starting at $1.1 million. That’s a pretty steep charge for a removable roof panel, although Hennessey Performance Engineering CEO Don Goldman says Venom GT Spyder buyers will also get “an even greater driving sensation.” While we have yet to see official specifications or an order sheet for the Spyder, we imagine seeing “Extra wind and sound from the twin-turbo V8″ listed under standard equipment. Regardless, we know which one we’d take the keys to if given the opportunity: This Vitamin D special.

Hennessey says it has already received orders for two of the five Venom GT’s it will build for the 2013 model year. So if you’re in the market for one of the remaining three cars, now you have a choice.

Source: Hennessey Performance Engineering

The same report also repeats the fact that the vehicle will be manufactured in 2012 as 2013 model. That certainly runs contrary to those whispers we heard about the 2013 Viper receiving a clandestine unveil at a Florida charity event.

Source: Allpar via StreetLegalTv.com

As Tesla was keen to point out, showing off a prototype – even one that’s 80-percent complete – is relatively unheard of in the industry. Regardless, the EV upstart invited a handful of journalists to go for a brief spin in the passenger seat of the betas. How brief? Less than five minutes.

So… don’t expect to find any mind-blowing revelations, 10/10ths impressions or thorough interior dissections. Here’s all you need to know: It drives, it steers, it stops, it’s practically – and predictably – silent and the interior tech is enough to make gadget nerds forget about the lack of an iPhone 5.

Of the three betas on hand, two were developed for fine tuning the interior and one was set up for rides. There are currently five betas undergoing testing, all of which were built at a contract plant in Detroit and not at the newly refurbished, ex-Toyota plant in Northern California. That said, an extensive tour of the facility revealed that Tesla is almost completely set up to begin Model S production this January before deliveries begin in the middle of next year. The plant currently employs around 180 people, with that number set to hit 250 by the end of the year and then swell to 500 when at full capacity. All in, 300 to 400 people will handle drivetrain production and by 2013, roughly 1,000 people will work between the powertrain and chassis facilities.

So yes, Tesla can build them. And after spending a few hours around the Fremont plant, much of our skepticism about Tesla’s abilities to bring the sedan market were laid to rest. They’ve pulled in equipment and talent from around the world (Germany in particular) to make a modern, world-class facility. And now we get to sample what they’ll be building.

Source: AutoBlog

It looks like the Vision SZR is still clawing its way toward production. According to online video series Done In 60 Seconds, the specialty machine from Mar Vista, California will reportedly come equipped with up to 700 horsepower courtesy of a 6.0-liter V12, though cost-shy buyers could theoretically stick with the base 6.2-liter V8 good for a more modest 620 horsepower. With an aluminum chassis and a carbon fiber body, the Vision SZR tips the scales at 2,875 pounds in its heaviest configuration, which means that all that swoopy bodywork should scoot to 60 mph in the low-three-second range. If you like what you’re hearing, get ready to wait for a while. Currently there is only one SZR in the world, and it apparently cost its creator $2 million to produce.

[Source: CarScoop] ]]> http://www.autoshortnews.com/dacia-duster-teased-preparing-pikes-peak/feed/ 0 http://www.autoshortnews.com/maserati-granturismo-mc-stradale-action/ http://www.autoshortnews.com/maserati-granturismo-mc-stradale-action/#comments Tue, 17 May 2011 11:01:14 +0000 Admin http://www.autoshortnews.com/?p=6888

The Maserati GranTurismo is one sexy two-door, and the ultimate in Trident-wearing super coupes is the MC Stradale. To give this super GT its bragging rights, Maserati engineers coaxed another 20 horsepower from its 4.3-liter V8 engine, bringing the grand total to 450 powerful ponies. Also tweaked were the chassis and aero, giving the MC Stradale the agility to handle all the extra brute force.

In true car porn fashion, there’s no curve left unexplored, and there’s more than one longing look at the concept’s lewd 20-inch centerlock wheels and massive 18-inch carbon ceramic brake rotors. There’s no indication how much of this will actually make production, but we can almost guarantee Toyota will have ditched the 18-inch brakes by the time the 2.0-liter four cylinder-powered FR-S goes on sale, whenever that is.